Why no spare wheel? What do I do?!

I just bought my smart car from a private party (calling her White Bell, because she looks like a tipped over white bell- nevermind). I was surprised that there was no spare wheel. I really don't want to drive without a spare, and the seller told me my front tires and wheels are a different size than the rear?! Sigh. What do other drivers do? I can't be the only one who wants a spare and doesn't want to lug 2 spares around, right?!

Heeeeeeellp, pleeeeeeeeeeease?!

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Permalink Reply by 451s Moderator on March 3, 2012 at 3:47pm

Welcome to our community.

You have several options regarding spare wheels.

First your smart has a flat tire kit that consists of a little compressor and a can of fix a flat. In case you did not know they are located under the carpet in the passenger side footwell. Once you lift the carpet you will see a dark Gray piece of foam. Lift that and the two parts along with a tow hook are located there. This should get you through most of the trouble.

Another option is to get a front wheel and tire and have that as a spare. You can use a front wheel as a spare for the front and for a limited time as a spare for the rear as well.

You can source a new wheel and tire from a local smart car dealer or if you want to save some money you may want to contact one of our supporting vendors (vendors located on the left side of the forum pages). They typically have spare wheels and tires at a discount.

Hope that is of help to you.

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Permalink Reply by Laura on March 10, 2012 at 1:56pm

Carry it home lmao ! I am wondering same thing !

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Permalink Reply by Ron Valkenburg on August 10, 2012 at 10:42pm

The first question I always ask people when I tell them that the smart has no spare is, since you were 16 and started to drive how many flats have you had? Most people can count on 1 hand, plus with road side assistance, either Mercedes or AAA, why bother. For an FYI, most cars now are not coming with a spare, saves on costs, weight, etc... including Mercedes & BMW.

You can always upgrade to Run-Flats or if you do buy a spare make sure its a front rim/tire. As you can put a front on the back for a temporary fix, but putting a back on the front would cause steering issues.

Now, where to put the spare, some keep it behind the seat but thats kind of silly. I know a perfect option its called Add-A-Spare. I know the guy who designed it and sells it, a bit pricey but gives you a piece of mind if you need that.

http://www.addaspare.com/

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Permalink Reply by SMART MADNESS on September 9, 2012 at 7:23pm

We can help!

If you need a spare give our shop a call at 562-981-6800.

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Permalink Reply by Ford C. Bevens on September 10, 2012 at 1:03pm

We at ADD-A-SPARE would be happy to help you,We produce the absolute finest solution to your problem.We have the only patented spare tire carrier that is offered by smart dealers.
1 (318) 572-7478
Ford C. Bevens
ADD-A-SPARE
ford@addaspare.com

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Permalink Reply by Serdar Gerek on September 10, 2012 at 4:01pm

Dont worry.there is tyre air pomp under the sıde seat mop.....

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Permalink Reply by jwight on September 11, 2012 at 6:32pm

A couple of steel Pure wheels available on SCoA: http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f11/3-pure-wheels-sale-misc... Look around for a used tire to fit and you're good to go. Of course, you'll need a jack and tools if you plan on changing to the spare by the roadside.

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Permalink Reply by Forrest E. Diehl on September 17, 2012 at 9:32am

I've had my smart since May, 2008. To date, zero flat tires. I do carry an extra can of fix-a-flat in the storage compartment in the back tailgate.

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Permalink Reply by Ford C. Bevens on September 17, 2012 at 7:15pm

I like both the peace of mind and the way it dresses up the car with my ADD-A-SPARE.

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Permalink Reply by Nguyen Hong Minh Le on March 5, 2013 at 9:48pm

I am living in houston, can you come if happened?

SMART MADNESS said:

We can help!

If you need a spare give our shop a call at 562-981-6800.

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Permalink Reply by Jesse Zeno Chen on March 14, 2013 at 7:00am

People have put rear wheels in the front. It is all over the place on the smartcarofamerica forum. I do not want to carry around such a huge item in, or on the outside, of such a small car. I purchased a tire plug kit from Walmart and I think that would suffice for nails/screws/other similar punctures. I prefer that over fix-a-flat products because it takes time to pump that gunk in, and I believe tire shops are not too fond of taking it out to repair a puncture. They can also cause issues with the tire pressure monitor sensors if I remember reading somewhere. Also, like someone stated, not only do you have to carry a spare, you have to have a jack and associated tools, ie wheel chock and lug wrench, to remove it, more stuff to crowd an already small car...